When Dolores arrived at the hospital, Sampson was seated in the corridor outside the patients’ rooms, his hands resting on his knees. Lost in his thoughts, he failed to notice Dolores approaching him.
“What’s on your mind?” Dolores asked, breaking Sampson’s reverie.
Sampson lifted his head, his concern evident as he finally acknowledged Dolores. He glanced towards the patients’ rooms. “Your mother is experiencing severe anxiety and hallucinations.”
Dolores had mentally prepared herself for the worst. “Thank you for taking care of her. Please go get some rest. I’ll look after her.”
Sampson glanced at Dolores’ abdomen. “You need rest as well.”
“Don’t worry about me. I’ll take care of myself,” Dolores calmly reassured him with a smile.
Sampson fell silent for a moment before nodding. “Call me if you need anything.”
“I will.”
Sampson rose to leave, and Dolores watched him walk away, biting her lip. Despite knowing him for quite some time, she realized she knew little about his family. In many ways, she felt she knew nothing about him at all. He must have been preoccupied with something significant to be lost in thought.
At that moment, Sampson halted, turned, and gazed at Dolores. “I overheard something from those women. Someone paid them to make false accusations and vandalize your door.”
Dolores nodded. “Thank you for letting me know. And, Sampson, you can always talk to me if something is troubling you.” She looked at him intently.
Sampson smiled. “I’m fine.”
Dolores didn’t press him further. She understood firsthand that everyone had secrets they preferred not to share with others.
After Sampson left, Dolores didn’t immediately enter her mother’s room. She pondered who would pay the neighbors to engage in such acts. Annabelle? Beulah? They were unaware of her pregnancy. So-
Crash!
The sound of shattering glass resonated from Jessica’s room. Startled, Dolores swiftly pushed the door open and discovered broken glass scattered around Jessica’s feet.
As Dolores began to pick up the shards, she spoke to her mother. “Mom, would you like a drink? Please sit down, and I’ll fetch you some water once I clean this up-”
Before she could finish her sentence, Jessica grabbed Dolores’ wrist, her gaze fixated as if in a trance. “Lola.”
Dolores looked up at her mother. “Yes?”
Jessica appeared immensely conflicted as she tightened her grip on Dolores’ wrist. “Can’t you just abort it?”
That question was only the beginning. What if the baby was born without a father? How would others perceive them if the child looked different? Dolores understood that Jessica was traumatized, but she didn’t anticipate her mother bringing up the past.
“Mom…”
Jessica released her grip, as if her soul had departed. “You hesitate. I knew you wouldn’t be willing.”
She slumped onto the bed; her gaze distant. “Jeremy is gone, he’s gone…”
Jessica’s actions bewildered Dolores. ‘What happened to her?’ Dolores called for the doctor, but Jessica resisted and threatened self-harm. Eventually, the doctor administered a sedative to calm her down.
“For now, we can conclude that the patient is suffering from a mental illness,” the doctor explained after assessing Jessica’s vital signs.
Dolores swayed, steadying herself against the cupboard behind her. “How did it escalate to this extent?”
“Has your mother recently experienced emotional trauma? This is not her first occurrence. She likely suppressed her stress for too long, causing an eruption that led to her current condition.”
Dolores’ lips twitched. Since Randolph had sent them away, she had seldom smiled. She was certain Jessica had been enduring overwhelming stress all along. Postpartum depression had afflicted her after Dolores’ brother was born, and it had worsened after Jeremy’s death. Dolores’ pregnancy had also added emotional strain, potentially serving as the final straw. It had pushed Jessica beyond her emotional threshold, leading to her loss of control.
“What’s the recommended treatment?” Dolores asked, her words jumbled as she fought to remain composed.
The doctor sighed. “Treating a mental illness is no easy task. You’re familiar with Dr. Herbert, aren’t you? He’s a psychiatrist who should be able to provide the most help.”
Dolores recalled Sampson’s expression and wondered if he knew something but chose not to disclose it.
“I suggest transferring your mother to a psychiatric facility.”
Dolores nodded in agreement.
Once the doctor departed, Dolores squatted beside her mother, her gaze fixed on the self-inflicted scratches on Jessica’s face. Her heart ached so intensely that breathing became a challenge. The image of Jessica losing control and harming herself replayed relentlessly in Dolores’ mind.
Jessica was admitted to a psychiatric center on the same day. Due to her emotional instability and the potential harm, she could cause to herself and others, only immediate family members were allowed to visit, and even then, only during regulated visiting hours. It felt as though part of the treatment was to isolate Jessica from the outside world.
Dolores packed up Jessica’s and her own belongings and terminated the lease. Since she had to leave some things behind in the apartment, the landlord refused to refund the deposit.
Sampson had taken care of Jessica’s hospital bills, and Dolores felt an increasing sense of indebtedness towards him.
Dolores hailed a cab, her mind consumed by thoughts of what she could do in this situation. Lost in her contemplation, she arrived at the villa. Paying the driver, she stepped out of the car with her bags, standing outside the villa for a moment, not expecting that she would be staying there temporarily.
As Dolores approached the villa’s door, a car pulled up, and she recognized it as Matthew’s. Uncertain of what to do, she froze in place.
Matthew got out of the car and spotted Dolores standing on the porch. “Where did you go?” he asked coldly.
He had gone to the hospital but was informed by the nurses that Dolores had completed the discharge procedures. So where had she been for the rest of the day?
Dolores didn’t want to explain. Dealing with Jessica’s affairs had drained her. “I had some errands,” she simply replied.
Matthew frowned. What kind of attitude was that? He hurried toward her…
He was tense and visibly furious, but then Dolores seemed to multiply in his vision. She felt extremely dizzy and blacked out. Swiftly, Matthew caught her by the waist as she collapsed.
Her waist was still slender, and he couldn’t tell that she was pregnant. The softness of her body and the close contact stirred an unfamiliar flutter in his heart. Matthew frowned at this subtle feeling. It was inexplicable. They had only met a short while ago. How could he already be experiencing such strange emotions?
Before he could fully process these emotions, two people walked through the doorway. One was Abbott, and the other was Helen. Both were stunned to see Matthew embracing Dolores, especially Helen, who had to suppress her rage. She was furious!
“Matthew… she…” Helen began.
Matthew carried Dolores through the doorway, paying no attention to either of them.
Abbott looked at Helen and said, “Mr. Nelson is married to Ms. Flores. Even if he doesn’t love her, they are husband and wife. How could he allow her to faint and collapse on the ground?”
Helen scoffed. “How could she faint when she seemed perfectly fine? Isn’t she intentionally trying to seduce him?”
Before Abbott could respond, Helen continued. “If she wasn’t sick, why did she faint? Isn’t that strange?”
Helen had her reasons to doubt Dolores’ health.
Abbott trusted Helen more than Dolores since he had known Helen for a longer time, and they were partners at work.
Although Dolores had an unfortunate past, she still had a family. Helen, on the other hand, was alone and had been with Matthew for a long time. So naturally, Abbott sided with Helen.
Matthew carried Dolores into her room and gently laid her on the bed. As he was about to stand up, Dolores suddenly wrapped her arms around his neck.